Many people feel that compact drills are for professional construction workers or heavy-duty drilling. Actually, compact drills can be used for almost every project around your home and garden, including all DIY projects.
You can use them to boreholes or drive screws with ease. However, if you want to benefit from the portability and convenience of a compact drill, learning how to use a compact drill properly is essential.
The first and most important step you have to take when using a compact drill is checking and ensuring the safety of all equipment before use. Following them will help you not only understand how to use a compact drill better but can also get the best use out of it:
A compact drill is a hand-held power tool that you can use to drive screws into wood or metal surfaces. The most basic model only requires one hand to operate, while larger ones may need both hands.
Some models have an adjustable clutch that allows you to control how much torque is applied when driving screws into different materials. This clutch is useful if you’re working with softwood or delicate surfaces that could be damaged by too much force.
What You’ll Need
- A compact drill with an attached battery
- A screw
- Chuck bits
- A plank of wood
- Marking chalk
- Safety wear
Step 1
Before working with your compact drill, make sure you have all the appropriate safety gear. This includes eye protection and ear protection for noise, sturdy shoes to protect your feet from debris, and debris protection for your clothing.
Step 2
Before using a compact drill, make sure that there are no obstacles near where you are working. Also, you need to secure any loose objects in the area so that they do not get in the way or fall on you.
Step 3
Make sure the battery is fully charged before starting your project so that the drill will have enough power to complete it without running out of juice halfway through.
Step 4
The chuck jaws are located on the end of your drill, where you insert the bit. To open them, place your thumb and forefinger on each side of the jaws and gently pull them apart until they’re fully opened.
Step 5
Holding onto the chuck with one hand, place your other hand over top of it and insert the bit into one side of the jaws until it’s firmly in place. Then, turn your wrists in opposite directions until you feel an audible click as they close around it. Your drill should now be ready for use!
Step 6
You should ensure all tools are properly secured before turning on the drill. This step will prevent them from falling off while you’re working on your project and possibly injuring someone in the process (or at least losing them).
Step 7
To make sure that your compact drill is positioned correctly in relation to what you’re working on, mark off the area with tape or chalk lines to easily return each time you need to change bits or move the tool position. Make sure that there are no obstructions in front of or behind the tool during use; this will help prevent accidents from happening while operating your compact drill.
Step 8
Turn on your compact drill and let it come to full speed before moving on to the next step. You will want to wait until this point because it can be difficult to control the tool at lower speeds. The speed will change the amount of torque the battery produces for your drill to spin its jaws.
Step 9
After waiting for your compact drill to come up to full speed, push down lightly on the trigger or button. This will start spinning up the chuck of your tool so that it can grab onto whatever material you need it to work with, in your case a screw. However, if you push down too hard, this may cause damage and wear on your tool’s internal parts over time.
Step 10
You must hold onto your compact drill firmly but gently while using it to prevent slippage and accidents. If you let go too quickly or forcefully, there could be some serious consequences for both yourself and others around you.
Additional Steps
A compact drill can do two jobs for you: push down the screw into a surface or pull it up from the surface. Depending on your desired outcome, you will first press a button on the side of the trigger to tell your drill whether you want to insert the screw or pull it out.
This button comes with an arrow to guide you on which way to press it according to the direction. If you still have confusion, always refer to the manual guide. Once you’ve decided on the direction, pull the trigger.
Our Final Thoughts
Compact drills are perfect for people without a lot of experience. They are very light and have fewer assembly parts, making them far easier to use than larger drills. Their small size also makes them ideal for use for many jobs that you would normally have to do with hand tools which can be very time-consuming.
However, their small size also means that they are not as powerful as the bigger versions of the same type of drill. So you can’t expect to use a Compact Drill when trying to bore through thick concrete unless you want to spend a few days on it!
Know your tool and use the step-by-step approach we have discussed above to get the best experience out of the drill without getting yourself hurt in any way.
